A Clean Bake

Pineapple Smoothie with Nutmeg (gluten free, paleo, vegan, Whole30)

You may not think a pineapple smoothie would benefit from the addition of vegetables and nutmeg, but trust me - it does! You get a serving of fruit, a serving of veggies, a little warming spice, a shot of vitamin C, and NO added sugar - all in one tasty glass. Once you try this pineapple smoothie recipe, you won't be able to put it down! Whether or not the world needs, let alone wants, another healthy smoothie is debatable, but at the moment, we have more pressing concerns. Namely: did ... Read More about Pineapple Smoothie with Nutmeg (gluten free, paleo, vegan, Whole30)

Grain Free Granola // aka Paleola (gluten free, paleo, and vegan)

Breakfast calls for a bowl of perfectly crispy, lightly sweet grain free and low carb granola! This paleo friendly breakfast will satisfy the most serious cereal craving without the gluten or grains. It sounds completely counterintuitive and at first it is. Granola is an oat-based food, or at least quinoa-based, but what happens when you take all of those grains and pseudo-grains out of the equation? Well, your breakfast becomes a lot heartier, but just as satisfying. For a long time, ... Read More about Grain Free Granola // aka Paleola (gluten free, paleo, and vegan)

Gluten Free Zucchini Fritters (Turkish Mucver)

These Turkish zucchini pancakes are made from fresh summer zucchini and and almond coconut flours, for a gluten free, grain free, and low carb version of  the delicious Turkish appetizer called Mucver. They're quick, easy, and delicious! Anyone who knows me probably knows that Mediterranean food is my favorite cuisine, and Turkish Food, specifically would be my pick if I had to live on one cuisine for the rest of my life. I love it so much I even went to Turkey for my honeymoon. I ... Read More about Gluten Free Zucchini Fritters (Turkish Mucver)

Roasted Beet and Pepita Winter Salad (gluten free, paleo, and vegan and Whole30 adaptable)

This incredibly easy salad kind of seems like it is too good to be true. All you have to do is roast some beets and toss them together with a couple of other seasonal ingredients. It's incredibly flexible too. Replace the beets with turnips, the white onion and cabbage with red, the pepitas with sunflower seeds or walnuts, or the baby spinach with baby kale or adult (?) spinach. Dress it with my favorite lemon vinaigrette, or whatever your favorite dressing is. That's it. ... Read More about Roasted Beet and Pepita Winter Salad (gluten free, paleo, and vegan and Whole30 adaptable)

Simple Lemon Vinaigrette (gluten free, paleo, and vegan)

You have all heard this before so I am reluctant to mention it again but....I'm going to anyway: one of the easiest ways to reduce your sugar intake, cut out a processed food and the chemicals that go with it, and save money is to make your own salad dressing. You can make it with anything you have on hand (like leftover Thanksgiving cranberries) but really, all you need for this particular simple lemon vinaigrette is oil, vinegar, lemon juice and basic spices. I added a little honey to this ... Read More about Simple Lemon Vinaigrette (gluten free, paleo, and vegan)

Sparkling Yuzu Pisco Sour (gluten free and vegan)

If you've never tried the national drink of Chile, Pisco Sour, it's time to give it a whirl. This version is a little unconventional, though, incorporating the pleasantly sour flavor of yuzu - a cousin of a grapefruit - into the mix. Plus, it's naturally sweetened. Cheers! If you understand any of the words in the name of this recipe other than "sparkling", I'm sending you a virtual high five. But, I promise, your taste buds will recognize a good thing when they experience it, and nothing ... Read More about Sparkling Yuzu Pisco Sour (gluten free and vegan)

Yuzu Simple Syrup (gluten free, paleo, and vegan)

Though this method is based closely on my recipe for lemon simple syrup, this version has not only been scaled down, but also adjusted for the less sour flavor of yuzu, compared to lemons. As to what to do with the peel that remains after you're done cooking the syrup, don't throw them away!! They are softer than lemon peels, so my preference is to store them with the syrup so that they can continue to perfume it over time. They also make a great (edible) garnish at the bottom of the glass if ... Read More about Yuzu Simple Syrup (gluten free, paleo, and vegan)

Sweet Potato and Carrot Latke-linis with Whipped Goat Cheese and Smoked Salmon (gluten free, paleo, and Whole30 compliant)

 I'm back! I hope you had a wonderful holiday; so wonderful, in fact, that you're scratching your head at that "I'm back" comment because you didn't even notice I was gone. I decided to take the week off, but calling it a decision might be a bit of a sugar-coating since I basically crashed after too many weeks of doing too much and sleeping too little and it was all I could do to get through the day - forget cooking. Priorities shift during the holidays, don't they? I just wanted to relax and ... Read More about Sweet Potato and Carrot Latke-linis with Whipped Goat Cheese and Smoked Salmon (gluten free, paleo, and Whole30 compliant)

Grain-Free Gingerbread Cookies (gluten free and paleo)

Classic gingerbread drop cookies that whip up in a mixing bowl (no stand mixer required!) and deliver that warmly-spiced flavor you crave! There is absolutely nothing better during the holidays than pungent, spicy gingerbread cookies. These aren't the tense, crispy cookies that put the "snap" in gingernaps; this version is soft and airy, snappy only in flavor. It's always dangerous when I get something in my head that I can't get out, because it usually ends up with every surface in ... Read More about Grain-Free Gingerbread Cookies (gluten free and paleo)

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Bars (gluten free and paleo)

Cranberries aren't just for Thanksgiving! Cooked down slightly and perched on top of a shortbread crust, they lend a vibrant color and a pleasantly sour punch to these sweet and slightly unexpected holiday bars! These bars were an accident, in the same way that penicillin was, but minus the infection-killing properties - a happy accident and a recipe that I plan to make again and again. Over the post-Thanksgiving weekend, I had some left over pie crust dough from my obsessive testing ... Read More about Cranberry Orange Shortbread Bars (gluten free and paleo)